


A Flight for the Fallen Flies the Crow

by Nomadic_Earthbender



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Crow au, F/F, Rating May Change, Warnings May Change, slowish burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-12-18 17:22:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18254402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomadic_Earthbender/pseuds/Nomadic_Earthbender
Summary: After being betrayed and witnessing her family's brutal murder, Zelda wakes to find herself in Hell with an offer she cannot refuse. Lilith wouldn't mind getting a little closer to the woman she is offering vengeance too. The Crow AU.





	1. Weathered Wings and Broken Bones

**Author's Note:**

> The Crow is one of my favorite movies and graphic novels, I highly recommend both. I have tweaked the lore a little to fit the needs of this fic. (I'm also unsure if Lilith's familiar in the show is a crow or raven, the models the set designers have used have changed from one to the other. I don't remember if it is ever stated if Stolas is one or the other. For the sake of this fic he is a crow). 
> 
> The title (and chapter title) is lyrics from a song by the band Ice Nine Kills, the song is based around the Crow (The Movie Version), I also recommend the band, especially if you enjoy heavier music and horror movies. 
> 
> The rating and warnings may change, I am not sure how graphic or explicit I will get later on, this goes for the events of the attack and the growing relationship between Zelda and Lilith. 
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. Reviews are certainly appreciated! Thanks for reading.

Her mind, body, and soul had been shattered. It was pure agony. Zelda let out a raw and tortured scream that echoed around her.

  
The last thing she remebered was watching her family be brutalized and murdered in front of her, Satan what they did to Sabrina, while she was helpless until her own relief came in the form of a blade across her throat.

  
That memory caused her pause. Although still feeling wrung out and excruciating pain, she rolled onto all fours and tried to take stock of her surroundings. She should be dead. Was this Hell? It was....less exciting than what she originally assumed. It was just darkness. She couldn't see anything, alone with nothing but her thoughts would be the worst form of punishment for her failures.

  
Before she could begin wailing once more a voice broke through the emptiness.

  
"I was wondering when you would awaken."

  
Zelda knew that voice.

  
"What in Satan's name are you doing here?"

  
Mary Wardwell's heels clicked closer to her from the left. Suddenly Hellfire came to life in a pit across the room.

  
"Things have taken quite the unexpected turn and I have been given the ok to tell you who I really am."

  
Zelda looked at the woman, her tear stricken face shining in the light, Mary merely smiled before peeling off her face. After what Zelda saw last, it didn't even phase her.

  
"I'm Lilith."

  
Zelda let out a choked sob that had a touch of disbelieving laughter to it before pulling her knees to her chest.  
"Why didn't you help us? At least my family, I would've died a thousand times for them."

  
Her voice was hoarse and weak but for once she didn't care. Her family was dead and it was her fault, there was nothing she could do. Although she couldn't help but ask.

  
"Where are they?"

* * *

Lilith had never seen the strong matriarch like this before and it certainly wouldn't do now. She needed her strong and angry, not broken and helpless. Replacing Mary's face she approached the other woman and placed a hand on her shoulder before teleporting them into her private chambers.

  
The mother of demons spoke as she led the defeated woman to her bed and helped her climb in.

  
"Your family has gone where they should have. Do not worry for them."

  
It wasn't the complete truth but they were safe, as safe as you could be in Hell, which is what Zelda would really want. The Spellmans were too powerful and influential, the Dark Lord wouldn't let them slip away so easily and these were the last of them.

  
Lilith got her under the covers, despite being a witch, Zelda was still human and needed to let these emotions out before they could be replaced with others. She started to shake from her sobs once more, Lilith said nothing but climbed in with her and let the woman cling as she screamed and cried until she fell asleep.

  
Lilith stroked her hair, she was a beautiful woman, full of power and fiercely loyal. After this little hiccup was taken care of Lilith was tempted to keep her. Surely the Dark Lord wouldn't mind if one of his most loyal were her companion.

  
The demoness sighed before letting her own eyes rest closed. There would be time for that later, right now she needed to focus on riling the woman up. Her grief was going to drive her to vengeance. Lilith would see to that.

* * *

When Zelda woke for the second time she felt a little lighter but her soul was still aching from her loss. She also noticed that she was still in bed and not alone, even more, she was only in her slip. Before panic could set in a voice she was surprisingly relieved to hear broke the silence; an arm wrapped around her waist.

  
"I hope you don't mind that I brought you here. It seemed like you needed it."

  
She was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond, she's sure Lilith didn't comfort very often. She was grateful and a little suspicious.

  
"I...thank you."

  
"The pleasure was mine."

  
Zelda could hear the seductiveness in her voice but the woman made no move to do anything, for which the Spellman witch was thankful for. It did remind her of her state of dress.

  
"Where are my clothes?"

  
Lilith tightened the arm around her waist, to help steady her for her next words.

  
"You are wearing what you were murdered in."

  
"Oh."

  
It made sense, the attack came in the middle of the night. She wanted to cry again but refused to do so. Lilith must know who was behind it and she was going to get the woman to tell her by any means necessary.

  
"Who was it? Who dare..." she swallowed a sob and took a steadying breath, "Who do I need to go haunt and make miserable."

* * *

Lilith smiled to herself, this was easier than she thought.

  
"It would seem Blackwood betrayed you and really the Dark Lord himself by giving aid to witch hunters."

  
Zelda began to shake and Lilith thought she was going to cry again, a pity really, Blackwood wasn't worth her tears. She was surprised when the woman jerked out of her grasp and slipped out of the bed. She began to pace, her jaw clamped shut and her breathing heavy, fists clenched at her sides. Even in spirit Lilith could feel the anger and power swirling around her, it was intoxicating.

  
"Let me go haunt him. I'll find a way to kill him, I promise."

  
Lilith wasn't sure if she was talking to her or herself but she figured now was as good as time as any to make her offer.

  
"He would simply banish or entrap you as a spirit. I can do you one better. If you'd like."

  
Zelda stopped pacing and looked at the demoness head on.

  
"What can you do?"

  
Lilith smiled and sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed.

  
"There is a temporary gift I can bestow upon you. The gift of the Crow. It will allow you to return to the world of the living to avenge your family and yourself. You will be virtually indestructible but you will not have your magic and you will only able to go out at night, during the day you must return here."

  
That was a bit of a lie, while she could not travel in the day, she could just lay low if she wanted. Lilith wanted her to come back, wanted to hear the glorious tales of how she killed them and possibly get a little closer to her. She may want her on her side for the battles in the future. A lot of things were up in the air at this point.

  
Zelda stood tall, her eyes were dark and nostrils flared, she nodded and quickly closed the distance between them. She stood directly in front of her.

"I'll do anything, send me back, please."

  
She was fierce but gracious and Lilith had no doubt she would do _anything_ to get Lilith to gift her. Lilith was not like her own... _master_...she didn't want the woman on her knees and begging. She would hopefully receive the willing gift of trust and loyalty later. She ignored the promise, at least for now.

  
"I'll keep watch of you from time to time, you'll notice my familiar. There are some gifts for you in your trunk at home. Be safe and merciless."

  
Lilith waved her hand and the woman was gone.

* * *

Zelda's eyes flew open. She was surrounded by wet dirt. She struggled to see but began to claw her way up. It felt like she had crawled from the pits of Hell itself by the time she reached the surface. She groaned in pain, her body hurt, as if rigor mortis had been set in for a while, the rain felt good on her aching and bare body. Pulling herself to her feet she noticed where she had been buried, and the three other freshly dug graves beside her.

  
The remnants of the Tree of the Thirteen had been long gone thanks to Sabrina. The town however, would never forget it or where it once stood. Zelda couldn't believe they were confident enough to not burn their bodies, surely even someone as arrogant as Blackwood wouldn't take the chance, he had underestimated the Spellmans for the last time.

  
Zelda knelt at her family's graves, swallowing her tears and spoke with confidence.

  
"I will avenge you. I promise."

  
Getting to her feet and walking back to the Mortuary through the woods she began to plan. Blackwood would be the most difficult target. As for the witch hunters who were involved, getting to them would take a little time but she knew where to start looking for information about them.

The mortuary came into view and Zelda could feel the magic radiating from the property. The Spellman magic would have been undone after they died, with a growl she realized it must be Faustus. No one would notice anything amiss and he got to peruse their home and hoarded treasures at his leisure. Although she was thankful that her home hadn't been lit aflame.

She was slightly nervous about crossing the magical barrier but nothing seemed to happen, she supposed detection and glamour magic didn't work on a corpse. She also wasn't completely aware of what all the gift of the crow would do for her. It didn't matter, she would take anything they threw at her and come back as many times as she had to.

  
The moon was just starting to cross the sky when Zelda stepped into the foyer. There was still blood all over the place, it made her queasy but she noted that it looked and smelled old, she wondered how long they had been gone. Too long for the Cain Pit, that she was sure of. The clock struck 1 and she hastily made her way upstairs to her trunk, wanting to waste no more time.

* * *

Lilith had certainly made up for her lack of magic. There was a sash of throwing knives, a beautiful thin onyx sword, and a whip like she had never seen. It had an almost invisible razor sharp blade that ran it's length but it didn't sacrifice the flexibility of it.

  
She gave a silent thought of thanks to Lilith before setting the items on her bed. She looked down at her wet skin and realized she would need something to work in. Thinking of her family, she wanted something of theirs to be a reminder and feel their strength. She ducked under her bed to grab a long black box that held black riding boots with a few sturdy buckles that she had worn over a century ago, before making her way to her closet for leather pants she had let Hilda talk her into during the 80s.

  
Thinking of her sister she grabbed one of her favorite rings off her vanity and slipped it on her middle finger as she sat down in front of the mirror. She startled when she first caught sight of her reflection, she looked as dead as she was. Ghostly white complexion and flat red hair, her curls gone and lips pale, a long thin scar ran across her neck. She grabbed charcoal and coated her eyes and lips, extending sharp lines off the corners. She hardly recognized herself.

  
With a renewed hard look of determination she stood and made her way to Sabrina's room and grabbed a tight long sleeve black shirt before she found Ambrose's black trench coat. It was long on her, almost down to her ankles but it was a tight fit for Ambrose and only hung a little loose. She took her gathered items and returned to her room where she finished getting dressed. She strapped the sword to her back and the knives across her chest, and one hidden in the boots her pants were tucked into. The whip at her hip felt solid.

  
It was barely 1:30 in the morning. Plenty of time left for her to start her war path. She walked down the stairs and took in the sight and smell of her family's blood one last time, and with a rage that felt like Hellfire coursing through her veins she slammed open the front door and made her way into the cold rainy night. She heard a crow on the porch give a squawk before seeing it disappear into the sky. 


	2. Here's to Believing in Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda begins her hunt,making a stop for some information at the Kinkle house and finding Sabrina's friends. She discovers a few abilities along the way and gets her first kill, returning to Lilith before dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thank you all for the kind comments! I apologize for being away for so long. Anytime I write anything either my muse flees or my life gets turned upside down, so this will be our secret. Hope a few are still interested and that this chapter turned out to be an entertaining installment. 
> 
> There is some gore in this chapter, nothing I consider too descriptive but if anyone is bothered or thinks it should be posted in the warnings I will be happy to do so! Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Mud caked under her boots as she made her way to the Kinkle's house. She didn't want to hurt Harvey but he would know something, she was sure of it. His father and grandfather were scum, they weren't involved and she wouldn't take anymore of his family from him, but she needed to know more about the hunters.

  
She had reached the property when she heard hushed and whispered voices. There were three figures huddled together outside near a large tree. If she wasn't mistaken it was Sabrina's mortal friends. She stopped to listen.

  
Roz waved her hands around as she spoke, "I know what I saw! The cunning has yet to be wrong!"

  
Theo nodded along, "She's right Harvey! Right before they disappeared my Aunt Dorthea said something about history repeating itself."

  
Harvey sighed and pulled his coat closed with his hands in his pockets. He didn't like this any more than they did but Sabrina was a witch, maybe her family decided to just ditch the mortals. He said as much and his friends scoffed.

  
"Sabrina would never do that, she loved all of us, especially you Harvey. Besides, what about Ms. Wardwell, she just up and disappeared too!" Theo couldn't understand why he was being so dense, maybe he was just scared.

  
"In the cunning I saw Sabrina's aunt-"

  
"Which one? The little English lady or..."

  
"The scary one. Anyway she didn't look normal, she looked like...." Instead of Harvey interrupting her this time, the words died in her throat as she looked over his shoulder wide eyed before pointing.

  
"Like that." 

* * *

  
The other two teenagers looked over at Zelda as she revealed herself. They looked even more scared and intimidated of her than usual, even though Theo and Roz had spent a little more time around her.

  
Theo was brave enough to take a step forward and speak to her, "Ms. Spellman! Are you alright? What's happened? No one has seen anything of you for almost two weeks!"

  
That answered the question of how long it has been. She allowed a quirk of her lips at Theo's concern, to be mortals, Sabrina's friends were alright and they clearly cared about her. She wasn't sure what all to reveal to them, although dead she isn't sure much could be done to her; besides they were all already aware of what they were.

  
"Dead. All of us." Her voice was rough and scratchy from disuse.

  
All three mortals seemed to pale.

  
"H-how? What....?"

  
Zelda tilted her head back and the three of them gasped, all on the verge of tears. Harvey gave a choked sound.

  
"Sabrina..."

  
Zelda nodded and he wiped away tears angrily, "Who or what was it?"

  
"Witch hunters with the aid of our own high priest."

  
Roz wiped at her eyes and put her glasses back on her face, "Witch hunters? I wasn't aware they were still around, most people aren't even aware of your existence. Well Harvey's...."

  
The young man went wide eyed, "NO! My father would never..." He honestly couldn't say he would never and they all knew it.

  
Zelda didn't have the time to explain that there has always been witches and hunters in the shadows fighting, mostly small scale events, nothing to draw attention.

  
"Rest assured I would have recognized your father or grandfather and they weren't present." Harvey released a heavy breath. "However, they must know something, You may have even heard something. Did you notice anything strange around the time we went missing?"

  
Harvey started pacing back and forth for a few moments before he suddenly stopped.

  
"My grandfather made a visit, which is already weird, said he had some people to see. A man I had never seen before came by and was asking for something. I heard my grandfather say something about not trusting any of them enough to work with them. Said he wouldn't go but that they could use the old tools."

  
Zelda took a quick step forward.

  
"Where are these tools? Where do they meet? There can't be that many here, is there a book or ledger?"

  
The three teens took a step back and Harvey started stuttering. "I-I don't...I never really knew much, nothing really until that girl from Sabrina's school said something. Even my dad doesn't seem to be very involved."

  
Zelda sighed irritably and was about to just rip the house apart when Harvey spoke up.

  
"Wait! There is this old trunk in the attic, it has a lock on it and my father told me to never open it. It has some weird symbols on it too. Come on."

  
Zelda and the others followed him. Roz, as usual, had some questions.

  
"I take it that while anyone can theoretically hunt witches, not everyone can be a witch hunter."   
Zelda quirked a brow and her lip, what a clever girl.

  
"That's correct Rosalind. Witch hunters have the ability to repel magic and it never affects them like it would a mortal. They were given this gift by a witch who claimed her powers came from the false god, I'm sure you've heard of her, Mother Theresa."

  
"Mother Theresa was a witch?!"

  
Theo and Roz glanced at one another.

  
"Yes, her miracles of healing were true stories. She helped mortals in exchange for staying safe and making a living. When other witches moved near by she became worried they would try and expose her. When the town folk asked for help against their magic to hunt them, she betrayed her kind by blessing their family lines and agreed. As far as I am aware, she is still burning in the pit for it."

  
It gave Zelda some comfort to know that Blackwood's fate would probably be far worse.

  
Theo cleared his throat, "So this betraying each other seems to happen a lot among witches."

  
Zelda sighed but could not deny it.

  
"Not as often as it could but witches fear discovery and from time to time one another. People like Blackwood are selfish and wanting nothing more than supreme power with no questions. He feared what we, especially Sabrina, were capable of. Even the thirteen were sacrificed to 'protect' the coven as a whole. I personally am not sure what I would do if there had been a warning prior to Blackwood's betrayal. I hold my family very dear to me."

  
Zelda felt emotion swell in her chest and was startled when she felt Theo grab her hand briefly. He had become much more confident since he became himself and Zelda was slightly surprised at the small amount of strength and comfort she took from him. He squeezed it before letting it go and she graced him with a small and rare but genuine smile.

  
Harvey signaled for them to wait at the door, he peaked his head in and waved them through. Zelda wasn't sure this was the safest option, if Mr. Kinkle heard them and came to investigate she would have to knock him out at bare minimum. They should've gone through the window upstairs. It was too late now though and she tried to be as quiet as possible and followed the teens to the attic.

  
After a nerve wracking stop at Mr. Kinkle's bedroom for Harvey to get the key, they finally made it to the attic. Harvey held out the key and Zelda shook her head.

  
"I can't open it Harvey. It has to be you."

  
The young boy trembled a little. "I really don't want anything to do with it. Can't you just magic it open?"

  
"I don't have my magic anymore and even if I did it wouldn't matter. It has to be a witch hunter. You may never take up the torch for it but it still runs in your blood."

  
Roz grabbed his hand briefly and Theo reached up to clasp his shoulder. He seemed to get what he needed from his friends as he quickly bent down and unlocked the chest. The symbols glowed when he lifted the lid before fizzling out.

  
It had many items in it, weapons, phials with strange liquids, and strange runic stones. What caught Zelda's eye was the leather bound book tucked to the side.

  
"Harvey the book."

  
The teen grabbed it and brought it close for the witch to see. He opened the heavy front cover, the leather smelled old and well handled but there was no damage to the contents inside.

  
There was a ledger at the very back of the book, names of hunters, birthdays and deaths.

  
"I remember my grandfather saying this man's name, my dad knows him too. Jacob. He usually hangs out at the bar my dad used to go to." 

Zelda nodded, she knew the bar he was talking about, it was one of the very few in the city limits. She thanked Harvey and the other two before making her way to the attic window.

  
"Ms. Spellman, what are you going to do to them?"

  
Zelda opened the window and turned, "You already know."

  
The three teens shared a look and nodded, "Good."

  
The witch was a little surprised by the collective hostility but after everything that has happened, she supposed it isn't a shocking development. Especially given their love and care for Sabrina.

  
She gave a slight nod before going out the window. After landing solidly on the ground she was pleased to find that her assumptions were correct, her body was much stronger and more durable now. 

* * *

It took about an hour of walking to get to the edge of town where the seedy bar sat. It would have taken longer had she not used her connection to the crow to show her the way. She wasn't aware she could even do that until she began to question the exact route to the bar. One minute she was stepping along the trees and the next she was high above them, when she was back to herself she stumbled before righting herself. She took a minute to stand still and remade the connection.

It was odd seeing through the eyes of a bird but helpful none the less. The crow itself had beat her there and was perched on the handlebars of a motorcycle parked out front, it gave a loud squawk as she passed it on her way in.

  
The bar was dark, for which she was thankful, she didn't want to be spotted by Jacob. She slipped into the shadows of a dark corner, watching a man harass a few of the workers and yell at the very few other patrons. She had a feeling that this was whom she was looking for.

  
He lewdly grabbed a scantily clad woman serving drinks, she yelled and smacked him as a big man walked over to them.

  
"Alright, that's it. Your going out back to cool off."

  
The large man hefted him around like a sack of potatoes and drug him towards a back door.

  
Zelda slipped out the same door she came in unnoticed, and made her way around back quickly.

  
The back alley looked worse than the bar; barrels, crates, and dumpsters cluttered the little make shift alley. It smelled worse too, piss and vomit that had been out there since the last rain. She moved quickly, quicker than any human could, and easily balanced herself on the chain link fence that ran behind the dumpsters.

  
With catlike grace she walked along it as Jacob was tossed out and began puking on his hands and knees. She felt her lip pull back in a sneer, he was pathetic and she would enjoy every second of ending his life.

  
"Not feeling so well?"

  
His head swiveled on his neck as he tried to look up at her. He finally fell onto his back against the side of the bar.   
Seeing her certainly seemed to sober him a little. By the time he scrambled to his feet, she was in front of him with her hands fisted in the collar of his filthy shirt lifting him off the ground.

  
"S'not possible, we killed you."

  
"Here's to believing in ghosts then."

  
She threw him into the few barrels like he weighed nothing. He managed to stumble onto his feet and pulled out a vicious but familiar looking knife. If her memory is correct, he was the one who killed Ambrose.

  
She grabbed one of the knives out of her sash and threw it faster than he could even see, it struck the arm wielding the knife and left his forearm dangling uselessly. Zelda made her way over to him and grabbed the injured arm as he swung it from the shoulder at her, she didn't notice the other knife in his good hand until it was sticking out of her side. It didn't hurt. She glanced at it before yanking it out and ramming it into Jacob's leg, causing him to collapse.

  
She straddled him, pinning the arm with the large blade under her knee, and grabbed his face, she saw him during that horrible night.

  
_He crept through the attic window to Ambrose's room, the young warlock was at his desk reading, he came up behind him and wrapped a cord around his throat until he passed out. Ambrose had been trying to get some spells out but they had done him no good, the cord glowed with some type of magical potency, he never stood a chance._

  
_Eventually he was dragged down into the foyer where the rest of the family was waiting. He was tied to his favorite high back chair and was slapped to consciousness. Jacob was cruel, he made shallow cuts along his neck and chest before he began stabbing him in non lethal places._

  
_It was minutes before he began to gut him, it was an old Spanish Inquisition trick. He pulled out as many organs as he could before Ambrose succumbed to death_.

  
Zelda yanked the knife from his leg and drove it hard enough to go through his shoulder and hit the concrete below. He started to scream but she placed her hand over his mouth.

  
"Where are the others?"

  
He gave a strangled and muffled laugh, "I'm not telling you anything witch."

  
She shoved a dirty rag from the ground into his mouth as she twisted the knife in his shoulder, before entering his mind once more. She saw a few locations that would help her find the others.

  
Grabbing another small knife from the sash on her chest, one that had a sedated edge, she rammed it into his abdomen and twisted before she drug it up to under his chin. His muffled screams turned to gurgles, he stopped struggling and went limp.

  
Zelda swiped a piece of hair from her face, streaking it with blood, before using her fingers to draw a small crow in blood on Jacob's forehead.

  
There was noise from behind the door and she stood swiftly, and headed for the tree line.   
She could barely hear the screams when Jacob's body was found, she needed to get home soon, the dawn was approaching quickly. 

* * *

Lilith hadn't really said what she needed to do to prepare to return to Hell. She assumed her body would stay here. In typical Spellman Gothic fashion, she carried a coffin from the funeral home and into the small hidden space in her and Hilda's old room, just in case Blackwood came sniffing.   
She heard a squawk from outside just as she shut the lid. 

* * *

Her eyes opened to a familiar room and Lilith sat near the Hellfire blazing in a pit in her room. Zelda could see and feel her eyes rove over her. She looked down and was surprised to see herself in the clothes she had put on before leaving for Harvey's house.

  
Lilith slowly approached her and she could still feel the excitement of killing Jacob prickling under her skin. She was startled to realize she wanted to sweep Lilith up and kiss her in her excitement. She stamped the thought down and offered the woman a large smile instead. 

* * *

Lilith could smell the blood on Zelda as she appeared, taking a look, she saw some streaked on her face, she couldn't help but want to lick it off her skin. She stood and made her way over slowly, watching as a few different emotions played across the matriarch's face. It may be easier to get the woman into her bed than she thought. For now though, she just wanted to hear about Zelda's vengeance and first kill.

  
She returned Zelda's smile as she led her to a table with some wine.

  
"Tell me all about it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is another lyric from 'A Grave Mistake.' Hope to get the next chapter started soon! Thanks for reading! Once again, my grammar is terrible and I apologize.

**Author's Note:**

> I am writing on a tablet so I apologize if anything looks wonky, I'll fix it if someone lets me know.
> 
> Also, despite graduating with an English degree I am horrible at grammar, if someone is being driven nuts by a mistake I'll be happy to fix it if you send me a message or leave it in the comments!
> 
> Thanks all for reading!


End file.
